Thinking of an Indefinite Trip Around the World!? Read this First!

I’ve been thinking lately of what I wish I knew before I left on an indefinite trip around the world. An indefinite trip is infinitely different than taking an extended trip. The one, you have something to fall back on while the other is nothing but free fall and hope you’re not a chicken but an eagle to catch some lift and glide your way around the globe…

How much cash do you have!?

This is really important for basically everything because if your trip were a vehicle, cash is what’s definitely being burnt in its combustion chamber. Sums of money no matter how massive or minute have insanely different values around the world. Just think for a second what you could get for $35 in say Norway, China, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Australia or Indonesia!?

The more cash you have and the cheaper place you live, the less you have to worry about anything.

Set a reserve level of cash where it’s your “ok, I need to get a job” as once you run out, you’re done.

$10,000 is NOT a lot of money in today’s world but it’s a chunk of change if you’re broke or lunch is $2.

Thinking of starting an online business? You should probably start that BEFORE you leave, life only gets more exciting.

What are you looking for NOW!?

Really ask yourself what you really want… Think of this trip as a choose your own adventure book but there is more than just a, b & c. There are 1-999999999999999999 choices available, especially at the start. Once the trip gets going, it will most likely start to take on a life of its own and resistance is futile. Imagine you’re at the top of a mountain on a snowboard and you need to choose a path, there is no backtracking when it comes to time and experience.

Are you looking to chill out, save some cash and do web work? Are you looking to go nuts for a few months to a year then settle down? Are you on a wild hunt to see as many world heritage sites as possible or completely fanatical about summer music festivals? Know this before you go and try and get that plan set in motion. See the forest and where you want to go because once you’re in the forest, it’s tree to tree.

Whatever you’re looking for when you leave, I suggest you go after as “the road” is a calming and crazy place all in one.

What do you want out of life!?

Let’s think longer than what you want “now”, what do you want in life? You’ve decided that you aren’t waiting in traffic, paying ridonkulous monthly bills or working 9-5 which works out to about 9.18 years of your life when you factor in the commute. Avoiding what I just said sounds like an obvious choice but once you leave, your safety net is gone. That “health insurance” that everyone you know has is no longer there because unlike everyone you know, you’re not pulling tow.

Once you’ve gotten what you feel you need to do “NOW” out of the way, really think what type of lifestyle you want to live. I’m not saying be rigid in your path but do have one. That ship without a rudder usually doesn’t win the regatta but the one that went straight to it’s destination probably had a boring time where the trip felt more work than a wonder. What I’m saying is know what you want aka have a destination in mind but be open for all or any side trips that catch your fancy, it’s not a race as you’ve shed your rat suit.

Know that there is no going back…

This one is hard to understand and even harder to explain. Once you leave a position and place at a certain time, you’ll never be able to return to how it was. The chemistry of the place and those around you changes slightly or significantly because the structure has changed, something is missing from the mix and that is you. That’s the whole personal life equation but what about work?

If you leave and do what you wish, some firms may think that’s cool, courageous and will be curious about employing you. Others will be like ok, this guy is no longer a young gun or talent, he’s gotten soft spending the last 2-7 years doing who knows what and who knows where…

Regardless of your situation, you’ve come this far so just do it…

If you’re someone who found this because you’ve been contemplating this for sometime, you gotta do it. Just realize that it’s like you’re on this cliff and you’re jumping or you want to… This cliff is so high that the clouds block the view of everything and anything below but countless people have done it, countless people are falling as we speak, it has to be done and the clouds will always be there.

Let’s get serious, most people never get to that edge let alone climb the mental anguish mountain required to even get to the place where you are. If you turn back, you’ll only come back. If you think you can come back slightly better prepared, maybe come back but if you’re ready but you just can’t pull the trigger, do it.

Where are you going to go!?

If you want to experience different cultures and a full on different pace of life, go to SE Asia or C/S America. I haven’t spent much time in the Americas but I know countless people start there and speak fondly of it. Personally, I followed the “Go straight to Bangkok” advice and am very glad I did.

Why Thailand you ask? It’s totally different than anything you’ve ever experienced in North America, Europe or Australia and it’s very much setup for tourism aka it’s a really soft landing. The place itself will be so different for you that having lots of the “details of travel” easily taken care of will allow you to make a smooth transition. Thailand is pretty easy going and that is why so many start their trips there or end their lives aka retire in it…

Good analogy for describing “the jump”, just remember that the train keeps speeding up so it becomes infinitely harder to jump the longer it’s been since it leaves the station. I’ve done it physically, you gotta just jump.

I hear what you’re saying but deep down, you must want something different than available at home or you wouldn’t be making such a trip. An indefinite trip is a new path in life, you may end up on more highways but it starts bushwhacking with a machete.

I knew I wanted to increase my web income, not be tied down and see the world, so far it’s working. Had I put more thought into all this, I would have gone out less around the world,played more golf and hired locals to go on crazy fishing trips in remote villages etc…

I am also on the verge of leaving for an indefinite trip around the world. I liked your advice about money and knowing what you are looking for now. It’s good to have a plan about where you want to go and what you want to do. However, sometimes it’s more fun and exciting to just wing it!

It’s definitely on the list, but sometimes I find that the #1 thing has a tough time living up to the hype. I think next summer Greece will offer some egregious value for the Mediterranean party scene, especially if they move back to the drachma. Mykonos is solid of course. But I think an even better time may be found a little off the beaten path, on Corfu. Then onward and upward thru Eastern Europe (also reasonable), and then onto the massive Electro festival in Belgium, Tomorrowland.

Your plan sounds solid and you are absolutely correct about lots of #1 places not living up the hype. You gotta sell that news I think, so to speak.

Greece was cool but I made the error of not checking the weather and arriving early May, fail. I’ve heard good things about Corfu and if I could do my European experience over, would have attended something like Tomorrowland for sure.

I’d like to visit Crimea as it’s an autonomous region of Ukraine in the Black Sea and heard good things.,.

Rob

August 8, 2012 at 6:19 am

Indude. Absolutely, “Think and Grow Rich” is my favorite book of all time but it’s been years since I’ve read it. Based on your comment about the firm date, I’m gauging you’ve read his work as well?

They should have students reading that book instead of “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and the like.

Fantastic message. After eight years of dreaming and scheming, I finally jumped in January, and I love the thrill. I agree that it’s vitally important to know what you’re aiming for on your journey; no need to have all the details sorted, but know your own true desires and curiosities well enough to reject the prescribed “must-sees” and “must-dos” that will invariably hound you as the travels unfold.

I loved that moment that we booked our first “this is it – we’re committed” ticket. Boat tickets from Brazil to Spain. We didn’t have home to South America sorted, but we knew we’d some way, some how get ourselves to Rio by March 21st of this past year. Life changing, beautiful decision.

Right on and I love this sentence “I agree that it’s vitally important to know what you’re aiming for on your journey; no need to have all the details sorted, but know your own true desires and curiosities well enough to reject the prescribed “must-sees” and “must-dos” that will invariably hound you as the travels unfold. ”

I couldn’t have said it better. That boat trip sounds epic and didn’t even know it existed, was it a cargo ship?

Quit my job. Ticket booked for Bangkok. Leaving 29th November. Hoping this will be anadventure of a lifetime. Too many people around me stuck in zombie mode comfort zones that it scares me and I need to get out!

From someone who’s done it, all I can say Rob is great job! I have never met anyone who regretted leaving their old, predictable life behind either… I like the cliff analogy too, because your main obstacle before heading out to travel for a long time isn’t even money… it’s FEAR, plain and simple. Overcome and you will be rewarded!

Great write up and a lot of what you mention I do wish I thought about before I left on a never ending trip, but I don’t think I could have even fathomed it. The things your asking in “what do you want out of life” and “what are you going for” I never could have answered three years ago. I’m not sure I even could now. And I think a lot of travelers are the same way. They go because they can’t answer those questions in their current life and want the surprises that await on the road. But you’re right in that if you want to stay on the road long term-you do need some sort of plan or action. Money goes very quick and it cannot be wasted.

I’ll be jumping at the end of November! Just reading this post gave me butterflies but I am SO ready! I’ll be doing South America with not much of a plan other than live as many adventures as possible and write all about them. Thanks for the great advice!

Great article, lot of great advice I’m standing at the edge of the cliff as well at the moment. I’m in process of selling all my stuff and getting ready for 6-8 months backpacking in Latin America in October. I have already been laid off at work in a round of redundancies and got a decent pay out that combined with my lease ending in October felt like a sign. Its both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time especially seeing as I have no idea what im doing after 6-8 months. But that’s all part of the adventure I guess

Start putting energy into the blog, it could be your ticket for an extended trip but just realize that it will take some effort! Either way, you’re at an interesting part of the whole journey, anything and everything is possible so I suggest you think about what you want and go for it!

Already doing this, brother… its how we connected. I was already in Anchorage on a last minute invite from a salmon fishing friend. Spent 2 wks w them, then 2 alone. Flew down to Portland, drove to Bend, stayed with a woman I’d only meet 3mos prior at my friends mothers house in Plum Island, MA. Stayed in a gorgeous hillside Mansion and she booked me for a tuna fishing charter ruin by her nephew and a microbrewery tour where her nephew is a bottler.

Only flew back to Boston to finish settling my affairs so that i can head back out but get this…

I’m a sucker for estate sales and when i drive out of Portland, Oregon, i saw a sign for one and attended at 8am. I ended up with some unique photos of town officials posing with Colonel Sanders, 3 condiment shakers from the restaurant and the actual bow tie he write on the photos. Sweet, huh? Add a signed Rocky Marciano Photo all for $15 total and i just paid for half my trip!

I’m very resourceful. Meant to share some cool ppl, places n find in Anchorage with you but we fell out if touch. Lets stay in touch, eh? I can go anywhere but have a few obligations to take care of first. As fur making money online… adept in that, too.

I need to look into estate sales and I can relate to many of your stories. Thanks for posting them here as further social proof to those on the side of the cliff that this life is possible and totally worth it.

I’m thinking of making the leap in a few months. One thing that I don’t fully understand yet, and that perhaps worries me because I feel it might limit freedom, is obtaining VISAs. Do you have any visa advice? e.g. is it relatively easy to get visas for a country in any country, or should I plan ahead and get them all arranged while I’m at home (UK)? Just found your site and love it so I’m off to browse it for a while!

HI Rob, I just came across your blog and it sounds great — you’re living the dream a lot of us have. I am curious, though as to how you pay the bills while you travel? Maybe you’ve addressed this in another post but I’d love to know.

This is one of my favourite SHABL posts. Full of sharp metaphors that really bring home what it means to travel indefinitely.

A few more things I can add (or elaborate on), that I wish I’d known before I began “my life on the road”:

1. People who make “the jump” are probably gonna be idealists. But a bit of realist thinking can really help. Eg. The world revolves on money, and it doesn’t matter if you have $5 or $50,000, sooner or later it’s going to run out. So if you don’t know how you’re going to re-fuel, then it’s probably not an indefinite trip, but a (very?) extended trip. Don’t let this stop you, but if you realy want to walk off into the sunset, it might help to have an idea where the money’ll come from, and like Rob says, if it’s something like Travel Blogging, “you should probably start that BEFORE you leave…” which leads me nicely to point 2…

2. Travelling, done well, is one of the of the most all-consuming acts. What do I mean? It’s easy to put things off at home (eg. writing an epic novel, starting an online business, learning a language) and saying to yourself; “I’ll be able to do that while I’m travelling.” It’s easy to say it because at that point the trip is an unknown entity, a path that could lead anywhere…but once you’re on that path you’ll know, there’s not a lot of time. It’s all spent having fun, meeting new people, learning new things, riding on the roof of a bus, etc. This might be a little controversial but I’d say, if you have to stop somewhere for a while to write your book, build your site, etc, you’ve stopped “travelling”…

3. Unfortunate as it is, life isn’t like the movies. I wish I’d known not to chase after the places from movies, books, etc that I love. Rimbaud and Hemingway’s Paris are gone. Instead, think about what YOU like and go to places that fit.

Most of all I agree with Rob: Just jump! These only so much you can get from reading this on a screen. You can learn these things along the way (as Rob has) and you’ll be the wiser for it.

Hey Rob, I love ur blog! Hey u should cm to Africa!
I’m an American living in Tanzania. Now u
U know at least one person in Africa! Lol but seriously, it’s
Pretty safe , people are friendly and there’s lots to see!
Just google Zanzibar, Mwanza and of course Serengeti and
Kilimanjaro! Great beaches..We need more Americans exploring
The beauty and exotic landscape that is Africa!

Hey! Ok i admit that i went to see your website because of the name!:-)
Made me smile, and not a surprise really, i just loved it!
Especially this article, mostly because im leaving in 2 months for my epic trip and im sooo excited that i can barely stay still!
I was pondering what you wrote in the article, and Looking back at what i did in my life, i may even enter the category of really long term travelers… Even if, so far, i moved pretty slowly lol..
I left home when i was 18, studied far away from home, moved to rome for 3 years then moved again to uk for….(way too long!) 5 years, and now leaving again with a one way ticket to SE asia!
You said in your article “know what you want in your life”,well, in simple words, i want to discover as much of the world as possible before i leave it! And you made me think about my path… Once you decide there is no easy way back. So true. I think my decision came really early, and step by step im getting where i want to be. No regrets!
Thanks for the inspiring article! I’ll be following u! Need some inspirational figures to give me the courage i need right now 😉

Hi Rob! Great post!
I’m a full-time traveler myself, having used every trick I know (and plenty I didn’t!) to stay on the road. I was going to add that I find the biggest single barrier to this kind of travel is The Fear. Fear of the unknown – it’s SO much worse that whatever the unknown actually turns out to be, once it’s brought into the light of day. Ideally the tropical light of day…
I’ve been stationary in Australia for a year (as in, still, not transformed into a paperclip) and it’s already starting to chafe. But then again, there comes The Fear – where to go? What will it be like back on the road after all this time? What will I do, will I be able to cope…?
And as you say, the answer is to take the plunge – and as quickly as possible!
I had a friend who used to say, the first thing he did when he got back home from traveling was to buy the next ticket away. Even if he had to put it on a credit card! Because it gave him something to work towards, a light at the end of the tunnel, something to keep him sane while he earned and saved the necessary cash.
It’s a grand plan. I did it too – at least until I stopped coming ‘home’!
Now though, facing the fear of the unknown trip once more, I’m thinking what my advice used to be to people in the same situation. It was along the lines of ‘Have something to go TO. A place of low-stress ideally, where you can acclimatise to freedom, and all its associated scariness!’
I normally do it by booking a bit of voluntary work – it eases me into the local culture, provides a free support network in the shape of fellow volunteers (who usually speak some English), and a structure to my life, so I know what to do and where to go for the short-term. Then, when I feel ready to spread my wings a little, it’s an easy hop,skip and jump to more freeform travel – with the added satisfaction of having contributed to something, the bonus of new friends made, and usually a head full of advice from those friends on where to go next!
Having said all that, I’m just booking a trip to Mongolia for my next adventure – and this time I think I’ll ease myself in even more gradually… with a holiday!
‘Cause, you know, gotta appreciate the good things in this world while they’re still in it!
:0)

I jumped off the cliff about three years ago. Well, eased down it with ropes and someone on belay…… This last fall I leaped into Turkey not knowing a word of Turkish. I ended up in Istanbul without so much as one Turkish lira and no way to get any at the airport because Akbank wouldn’t accept my bank or credit cards. Then an angel appeared in the form of a Turkish lawyer who spoke perfect English, and got me to my destination where I did eventually find a good bank machine. For some bizarre reason, this atheist (me) has a lot of faith in the goodness of people, and so far people have always been there when I needed help. I also try to be there for others whenever possible, part of the Pay it Forward, Pay it Back idea. For this reason, The Fear is not as powerful as it used to be. I live in Mexico at the moment, and find many angels appearing and reappearing here, which may actually have something to do with the Catholic church, though I didn’t find nearly as many angels in Italy or Spain. There is just something magical about some places, and it seems Mexico has more than its fair share, as does Thailand and VietNam. I’ll be interested to hear your experiences in Mongolia. I’ll bet you will find less to fear once you get there. Buena suerte y buen viaje!!

All great information Rob. I have been a firefighter for 13+ years in Santa Barbara, CA that recently hurt my shoulder on the job and it is going to “retire” me from the golden handcuffs of firefighting. Both my girlfriend and I have travelled extensively internationally but for no longer that a month or 2 at a time due to money constraints and having to come back to work. Now that I am going to be forced to retire, originally I was scared at my diagnosis but then it hit me. This is our chance to escape and follow our whims wherever they take us. We are going to move to Nicaragua to start to save up some cash then see where it takes us, all with a new daughter. I am stoked for you that you were able to make the break and figure it out. Thailand is the perfect first place for anyone that has some anxiety about their decision to do this, and the rest of your info and blog posts are awesome. I have been going to Thailand for 14 years and it is an amazing country. Be safe and have fun! Hopefully we can meet on the road somewhere, sometime! Safe travels.

Spent this past 6mos, after Oregon ad Alaska ,getting my hunter and bowhunter education, and LTC (license yo carry). Joined indoor and outdoor archery league and befriended all the Hunters in the league by sharing my salmon from the ak trip etc Going Bach 7wka this year fir more fishing and bear hunt w guy i met last year. From there? 😉

We sold our suburban US home 15 years ago and sailed away….and Yes, you can never come back to the same place, but then you never want to….we changed and we changed and changed…life moved on….the world is changing so fast right now, we all need to keep our eyes open and explore to keep up. Great blog, thanks.

It’s been 20 years since my girlfriend and I sold everything and traveled rtw for a year. Now at the ripe old age of 46 (jk) with the house paid off and the kids a few years from graduating high school, I just discussed with my wife (same girl I traveled with) that we sell everything and travel indefinitely. Shes all for it!!! I googled indefinite travel which is how I found your site. I remember being on Ko Tao island and thinking….if I could generate a $5000/year income I could live hear forever!! Upon liquidation of our house and “things” we are in the fortunate position to try to make it on $500,000. The juices are flowing again!!! More adventures to come:). Been through the fear part already. Now it’s just all pure excitement. I’m sure ill meet up with some of you at a later date. It’s a small world and a short life. Go for it!!! Ron

Hey, I have just come back from traveling, and all I want is to do it again and forever! This boring life is not for me! Anyways so my boy-friend and I are planning to go, we are currently saving to do a yacht and tefl course to fall back on when money is tight but do you have any other suggestions? What other options are there to make dosh whilst traveling??

It’s very addictive isn’t it!?
Well, not really in the true sense of the word. It’s ‘fulfilling’ and the only real happiness I’ve found. It’s spiritual, and a great thing to do with at least part of your life.

For us (Wife & I but mostly me..) I worked very hard through my early 20’s, and only just ‘made it’ to my goal of semi-retirement late last year. I bought a few rental properties (all financed massively mind you, no silver spoon) and held on to them. They went up in value, I worked my asss off which got harder and harder, until my soul felt like it was going to burst and I recalculated everything and sold half out to reduce debt. We now have enough (enough for us, it’s a personal decision) equity and capital that we feel it will do us into our traditional retirement years so long as we leave it alone until then. All we need to do is save money/cash for travel and living costs between now and then.

We carry no debt (apart from a mortgage that’s half the value of our home and investment property debt) but we can ‘use’ that. Ie: rent these out while we travel and they make money, not cost us money. Even though they have debt against them. So I did things the opposite way around. I worked hard while many other kids were partying hard, had no kids and now those same kids are middle age and struggling to keep up financially while we’re just beginning to really ‘live’ our lives semi freely. And man it feels good.. There’s still a little money stress cause we’re not totally loaded but if I wanted to go the full hog it would take too much of my life (time) and I’m not prepared to do that. Where do you draw the line? I’ve discovered that life is much too precious to be labouring it away if you have strong yearnings. Life needs to be lived and you need to be doing what it is your soul wants.

Awesome post and a must read for anyone contemplating making that move. I also did the “straight to Bangkok” trip a few years ago and never looked back. Still scraping to make ends meet but I wouldn’t change anything for the world! OK, if one of my business worked that would be nice haha! Dreams don’t come true by wishing. Time to take action!

The Wife & I semi retired (early mid 30’s) late last year and travelled through SE Asia. It was so good, we have to get back out there. I now run a small business at home and the Wife has gone back to part time work, with a few short trips here and there between then but our main aim is to travel a LOT! There’s one thing that prevents this for us though. 2x dogs we love as part of the Family. Otherwise, don’t forget anyone with a house (mortgage free even better) can simply rent it out and go indefinitely. Eeeeasy. So we’d be doing that but don’t want to leave them.

What our latest plan is though, is to rent the house out at a reduced rate to a trustworthy someone we know so we’re making a little coin on it and not paying for our travels AND someone to live in our home like we did with the house sitters last time. I’m a really good saver and have no debt apart from a small(ish) mortgage. We feel relatively safe that we have good equity in our home and another investment property that will do us into our later years that we can take things back a notch now. I mean, it’s in peoples nature to always want more but we realise that we have more than most in the world and are ‘rich’ by Asian standards that we had the fortune to see and realise last year. Our equity continues to grow into the future and if we don’t use any of it then thats good enough for us at traditional retirement age. So I just save as much as I can (always have, nothing new there..) and we use it to travel! My calcs are good and I only ever use a worst case scenario on costs so haven’t gone in over, which I like because it’s safe. And means we don’t ever over-do it and that’s a safety net for us.

Reeeeally looking forward to next trip. We think it will be in about 1 years time. I know, it seems a while off but we’re taking a short Indo trip in a few weeks and off to Europe just after that.